na: grizzly bear, the prodigy
A wild and woolly day in New Arrivals today. Grizzly Bear back catalog is a biggie (and tidily answers the question, “Will Warp on eMusic just be obscure Autechre side projects?”) and I think we’re all curious what kind of public interest there will be in this new Prodigy record (first in seven years!).
Grizz, mohawk-techno and a bunch of other sweet treats after the jump.
Grizzly Bear, Yellow House & Friend EP: GB like to call themselves “experimental” these days — it’s a bit of a red herring, but there is certainly nothing pedestrian about their brand of indie-folk or whatever you end up calling it. Yellow House was their coming-out party, and for good reason. While I’m not a Super Mega Fanboy, I constantly find myself impressed by YH‘s insular sound and intrigued by the process here. It’s a fuzzy, warm and kind of delicate record. I really think everyone should hear it. If you’ve still not managed to hear a note of Grizzly Bear to this point, absolutely start with “Knife.”
The Prodigy, Invaders Must Die: Early press on this album was mostly chopped from live reviews saying essentially, “the new material is going over well.” Which means… just about nothing, really. I think I’ll let eMusic’s Barry Walters handle this one:
On the surface, the Prodigy’s fifth album in 17 years might seem like more of the same…Invaders Must Die doesn’t try to reverse the band’s downhill slump via arena-punk pomposity or forced Juliette Lewis cameos. Instead, it’s an unpretentious dance disc, proudly and successfully flaunting instant familiarity. The oh-my-god-this-is-so-retro dismissal it initially provokes soon gives way to an oh-my-god-this-is-so-awesome welcome.
Seems about what I would have predicted.
Isaac Hayes, Black Moses & Juicy Fruit (Disco Freak): Peak-era Isaac, re-issued. He really felt on top of the world at this point, huh? I mean… he called this album BLACK MOSES. Essential stuff.
Laura Gibson, Beasts of Seasons: Twinkly indie folkstress. Not gonna lie: this, Alela Diane, Marissa Nadler, Jolie Holland — it all kinda falls into the same whispery well for me. Probably not fairly, but what can I say. I think Nadler is a little… weirder? Clearly I need to do some more research.
Black Lips, 200 Million Thousand: New Black Lips! I might be the only one in the office who perks up for that, but I think these guys do the dirty garage stomp thing in a pretty charming way. Still need to listen to this one a bit more, but the more jangly stuff here is the most exciting to me. Check out “Starting Over” — that 12-string Rickenbacker! Black Lips-go-Byrds or somethin’. Just don’t tell Joe it sounds like early R.E.M.
Wavves, Wavves: Hyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyype. And I’m not talkin’ Seattle, I’m talkin’ INTERNET. This band seems tailor made to be something I love/get borderline obsessed with. However… the songs ain’t really there. I’m gonna keep trying with this one, but it really hasn’t clicked yet for me. RIYL: no-fi, garage rock, Times New Viking, being stoned. I’ll give it another shot when the Fat Possum album comes out.
8 Ball, Memphis All Stars: MJG’s partner-in-Southern-Rap-crime. If you’re itching for a crunk fix, this mixtape should do the trick.
Joker/2000F & JKamata, Digidesign/You Don’t Know What Love Is: Yancey and I were having a pleasant disagreement about the relative worth of the b-side of this single, which Prancehall called a “fruity robofunk ballad.” My position: how can you not love a fruity robofunk ballad?!?
I’m also hoping Jayson will chime in the comments here with some of the notable classical arrivals. I know there are a few, but I am pretty… under qualified to expound.
DON’T MIND IF I DO!
Good stuff came in today for classical nerds, and at the top of my PERSONAL list is the recording of Leonard Bernstein’s Mass on Chandos. This piece is just…..it was Lenny being older and thinking he had discovered the Meaning of Life and then writing an enormous secular Mass about it that featured rock and roll and funk and choral singing and god knows what else probably finger painting and Tuvan throat singing and maybe people bursting into flames. Just the most dizzying pileup of styles imaginable. At it’s premiere, critics laughed it off the stage. Now, people are hailing it as a masterpiece. You know — THAT old story. Kristjan Jarvi, of the huge Jarvi family that are like the Estonian Jacksons of the conducting world, leadss a great performance.
http://www.emusic.com/album/Randall-Scarlata-BERNSTEIN-L-Mass-Jarvi-MP3-Download/11384065.html
Other notables today for the classical set:
Superb recording of Brahms’ First String Quartet and his monolithic Piano Quintet:
http://www.emusic.com/album/Arcanto-Quartett-Brahms-String-Quartet-op-51-1-Piano-Quintet-op-3-MP3-Download/11366475.html
Some think Clara Schumann was one of the greatest female composers of her time. Besides that, she was embroiled in a fascinating, TV-mini-series-worthy romantic triangle with her husband, Robert and his protege, Brahms. This is a recording of her gorgeous vocal music:
http://www.emusic.com/album/Dorothea-Craxton-Clara-Schumann-Complete-Songs-Vol-1-and-2-MP3-Download/11360470.html
New recording of the violin and piano works of 20th-century Polish composer Witold Lutoslawski:
http://www.emusic.com/album/Dorothea-Craxton-Clara-Schumann-Complete-Songs-Vol-1-and-2-MP3-Download/11360470.html
Strikingly “modern”-sounding take on some Beethoven and Bartok sonatas:
http://www.emusic.com/album/Fazil-Say-Kopatchinskaja-Say-MP3-Download/11382168.html
I knew I could count on ya.
Prodigy is their first since 2004, so five years, not seven.
eh? what did they release in ’04 was it any good????
Also lets not missout for the Cover song fans
http://www.emusic.com/album/Various-Artists-Sheridan-Square-All-Blues-d-Up-Songs-of-Bob-Dylan-MP3-Download/11378941.html
Including Issac Hays doing Lay Lady Lay and R.L. Burnside Doing Everything is Broken
Also of note (and Free “the Wages of Syntax” Compliation (I love redcloud and think he’s needs MUCH more praise)
@ Matos: whoops, misread the review. Thanks for the eagle eye as always.
Bring on the obscure Autechre side projects!
Yes. More obscure Autechre please!
Reggae fans; a whole bunch of good looking Big Youth albums landed yesterday:
http://www.emusic.com/browse/l/b/-dbm/a/0-0/1400245034/0.html
That Joker / 2000F & J Kamata single is excellent! I love both songs.
It didn’t come from the latest batch of new arrivals, but this morning I’ve been enjoying The Commo EP by Mutamassik Scratchy, skittering, and generally unstable beats around relatively minimal tracks.
The new Laura Gibson is great!
(and the new Marissa Nadler is on the site (I’m going to get it on CD))
i LOVE the laura gibson – one of this year’s pleasant surprises.